


I Think We're All Ready

by ouro_boros



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, glados is lonely, its been a while since she left, the apocalypse occured while chell was asleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 16:53:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6666640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ouro_boros/pseuds/ouro_boros
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>GLaDOS, being a creature of pure intelligence, is not easily startled. Chell had always surpassed that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Think We're All Ready

Not much startled GLaDOS. The occasional explosion within the depths of her facility? Normal. Tartarus pecking at her wires when she wasn’t paying attention? Normal (no one would dare tell the bird, but he was the worst of the three child like crows--probably because of his ridiculously chubby beak). Atlas and P-body high-fiving after the smallest of victories? Annoying, yes. Abnormal, no.

When one of her less visible (and consequently less high quality) cameras picked up on the Davy’s gray eyes that she had thought that she would be rid of forever, GLaDOS was startled.

“What are you doing here?” she asked a silent room, even though Chell couldn’t hear her. She didn’t have any speakers or microphones on the shed made specifically to be an emergency exit. Tartarus flew from the wires that connected to the ceiling, alarmed by her voice. In the background, she ran a quick diagnostic to make sure he hadn't damaged anything. He never did, but better safe than sorry.

Her crows had lived up to her expectations as killers--especially Nyx. She was much more efficient than her brothers, and GLaDOS felt a strange sort of connection with her. Whenever Tartarus ran into a glass pane or Erebus got a few feathers shot off by turrets, she would roll her optical and maybe let out a little sigh, and Nyx would reciprocate with a little shake of her onyx head.

Chell knocked on the shed door, bringing GLaDOS’ attention away from her birds and back to her newest problem. Of course GLaDOS wasn’t letting the lunatic in but, knowing her, if the AI didn’t expressly tell her that she wasn’t getting in, she would just find another way that would cause much more damage. So how could she tell her?

After a moment of thought, GLaDOS called, “Blue, come here. I need you to--actually, Orange would be better for this job. And most jobs.”

P-body quickly obeyed, going to stand in front of GLaDOS’ chassis with a few chirps that she assumed was the machine asking her what it was supposed to do. She never did figure out how to understand her creations, a small failing on her part.

“Orange, I need you to get into this elevator,” she sent the elevator Chell had left out of down next to P-body with a simple reconfiguration of her chamber, “go all the way up to the surface, and look at the human that will be standing outside. Don’t say anything, don’t do anything.” P-body went to the elevator, but stopped when GLaDOS, having remembered the turret opera still set up on the path to the surface, added, “Oh, and don’t pay attention to any songs that you might hear on the way up. If you do, it’s just your imagination.”

After taking far longer to get the elevator working than what P-body should have been able to manage (or, at least, that’s what GLaDOS would tell it after the mission was over), GLaDOS finally saw Her-- _the_ former test subject. She was, simply put, exactly as She remembered her: unkempt and attempting to cover up unfortunate bone structure with unnecessary amounts of body fat.

Except she didn’t look fat so much as malnourished. In fact, it seemed as though she hadn’t eaten at all since she’d left GLaDOS’ watch.

From what She could gather from P-body’s camera, She had been right about the apocalypse. She couldn’t be sure, but based on the amount of wheat and how it spread out in all directions, it appeared as if civilization hadn’t existed there for a while.

“What,” she finally said, “tired of eating wheat?”

Chell just stared at P-body’s optical for a bit before smiling, then grinning, then laughing.

“Obesity is nothing to laugh about. You might need to see a doctor--Oh. But they’re all dead. Oh well, it adds to your… charm.”

The ex-test subject bit her lip, struggling to stop laughing. There was a certain shine in her eyes, one that spoke of relief, as if she had expected Her to not answer and leave her talking to a shed.

Actually, that might have been a good idea. Better than talking through P-body’s second-rate speaker system, anyway.

“Look,” GLaDOS started, tired of Chell’s out-of-place joy, “what are you doing here? I let you go. You were free. And you really are insane if you think I’m letting you back in here.”

The remains of Chell’s laughter were gone, replaced with a sort of acceptance.

“Sort of.” “Certain.” She was quickly growing tired of trying to ascertain the lunatic’s emotions. If she was going to use her previously abandoned (much like its owner) voicebox to laugh, she could use it to enlighten GLaDOS as to her purpose.

“I know you’re not mute. You can stop pretending. Why are you here?”

Despite GLaDOS’ weariness of reading Chell’s face, the stone cold glare She received for that refused to go unnoticed. Looked like it was time for another tactic.

“I have more test subjects now. I don’t need you anymore. I’ve moved on. Can’t you?”

The former test subject’s face said no.

“And they’re not humans, in case you have any urges to break in and ‘rescue’ them. I did have human test subjects at some point. They didn’t last long. Now I’m testing birds. They’re smarter than I thought they were. And--well. Apparently being a vicious killer is a good trait in a test subject.”

Chell’s face didn’t change at all, simply stared into the camera that was P-body’s bright orange optical. At least they were in semi-familiar territory. Usually when GLaDOS came up with a clever comment, She was at least rewarded with a smirk. Instead, Chell’s face remained as still as stone. It was as if she’d forced herself to keep a concealing hold on all that made her so human. Not that She liked any of that.

“So we’re back to not talking? Well. Two can play at that game.”

Right. She could manage to not speak. She could force Chell to speak like that.

“I’m better at not speaking than you could imagine. I am a supercomputer, in case you’d forgotten.”

Chell had never been so still during tests. Despite her not speaking, she still smirked, scowled, even grinned if the situation required it. Sometimes she would even look directly into one of Her cameras and raise an eyebrow as if to say, “Is that the best you can do?”

“You can’t deter me like that. I’ve been dealing with silence a long time.”

The path of trampled wheat began to rise. Interesting. Perhaps this wheat was stronger than ordinary wheat. She would have to conduct some tests.

P-body flinched.

Chell’s eyebrow tried to rise out of habit, but she quickly forced it down.

“I forgave you!” GLaDOS finally said, breaking the suffocating silence. She took a moment, composed herself, then added, “I understand that you had your reasons, but I also had mine. And yours were idiotic. So… I forgive you, but I’m not letting you back in. I lie a lot, I know, but I wasn’t lying when I said that I wanted you to leave.”

Chell’s face did not remain still. If She watched very closely, She could see a waver, as if she was becoming unsure of herself.

“I'm sorry,” Chell breathed.

“I just said that I've forgiven you, why do you think--wait. What did you say?”

“I'm sorry,” she repeated. “Not for killing you. Or trying to escape. That was just common sense. I'm… I'm sorry about Wheatley. I’m sorry about Aperture almost being destroyed. I'm sorry.”

For once, GLaDOS was shocked into silence. She hadn’t actually expected Chell to speak, must less to apologize.

“I’m also sorry because,” Chell took a deep breath in, “I haven’t forgiven you yet. You put me through things I never signed up for--that I never wanted to go through. Just… Pretend, for a second, that you were in my position. Imagine waking up in unfamiliar clothes, in an unfamiliar room, with some weird device in your knees and no memories of how you got there. Of course I tried to escape! Of course I tried to kill you. So… I may be sorry, but I have not forgiven you.”

GLaDOS took a moment, then asked, “Is that why you came back? To say you haven’t forgiven me?”

She laughed humorlessly. “No,” she answered.

“Why then?”

“Look around.”

P-body followed Chell’s command even though GLaDOS hadn’t told it to. Annoying, but at least She got a good view of… wheat. Her hypothesis had been correct. Wheat stretched out for miles upon miles.

“That? Is all there is. Sometimes there are vines, when you’re in a city, but this… is all that’s left. Everyone’s dead. That’s why I came back.”

GLaDOS wasn't disappointed that She wasn't the reason Chell had come back. In fact, this was much better. The Chell problem could be gone in an instant. If She kicked her out again, she wouldn't be able to survive for more than a week. However, if it was a matter of survival, the lunatic would be more than likely to find a way in herself.

“Well? Are you going to let me in or not?”

This was a matter of survival, for both Her and Chell. If She didn't let Chell in, they would both most likely die, one due to the other, the second due to malnutrition. If She did let Chell in, they both at least had a chance at survival.

“Fine,” GLaDOS finally answered. “You can come in. But only because if I didn't let you in you would just find another, more destructive path. Please take a few steps back if you do not wish to be exploded.”

Chell obeyed with a smile on her face. After P-body exploded, the low-quality camera watched her step into the elevator and wait to reach GLaDOS’ room again.

The idea of Chell returning had been an unreasonable fantasy of GLaDOS’ that She had known was impossible and yet had kept coming back to. But here she was, back again. It could only lead to GLaDOS’ pain and possible (probable, if She was being honest) demise, but… Maybe. Maybe She’d be okay this time.

For now, She had a terms and conditions sheet to write up.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! The title is taken from Rilo Kiley's "Paint's Peeling," one of my favorite songs for these two.


End file.
